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COVID-19 T-cell immune response map, immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID for research of T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Posted in Coronavirus Gene Expression, COVID-19, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, SARS-CoV-2, T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, Virus Infective Acute Respiratory Syndrome: SARS-CoV on November 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »

COVID-19 T-cell immune response map, immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID for research of T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

 

Read our latest blog | T cells: Understanding Exposure and Immunity to COVID-19 by Adaptive Co-Founder and CSO, Harlan Robins. Read here

Watch the video

T cells are the adaptive immune system’s first responders to any virus, circulating in the blood to detect and quickly multiply to attack the virus, often before symptoms appear. Adaptive Biotechnologies’ unique MIRA Technology and immunoSEQ Technology has enabled us to create a comprehensive view of the T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This data has been made public as part of the ImmuneCODE Initiative in order to help propel drug, vaccine, and clinical trial research. We are launching immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID with the tools to study and analyze the COVID-19 T-cell immune response map.

SARS-CoV-2-specific Antigen-TCR sequence-level data
Quantitative sequence level data for TCR repertoires for SARS-CoV-2 specific antigens
Monitor immunologic response to SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccine
Track COVID-19 specific TCR sequences longitudinally
Dive into Patient, Population, or Cohort-level data
Determine TCR clones shared between cohorts & those that are Public vs Private clones

 

Learn more about the science behind the ImmuneCODE database in our first publication (Nolan et al.) and to discover initial COVID-19 data insights, read our recently updated pre-print publication (Snyder et al.)

A large-scale database of T-cell receptor beta (TCRβ) sequences and binding associations from natural and synthetic exposure to SARS-CoV-2

Magnitude and Dynamics of the T-Cell Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection at Both Individual and Population Levels

End-to-end solution; from experimental design to publication ready data

SARS-CoV-2-specific TCR repertoire sequences & antigen data

✔  Validated TCR-antigen data from over 70 MIRA experiments

✔  In vivo identified SARS-CoV-2-specific TCR sequences

✔  TCR-Antigen sequence level data with the PCR, bias-controlled, reproducible immunoSEQ Assay

Data analysis through the immunoSEQ Analyzer or Computational Biology Services

✔  Explore SARS-CoV-2-specific TCR-Antigen sequence data in the immunoSEQ Analyzer

✔  Compare your COVID-19 samples against our COVID-19 samples to identify public vs private clones

✔  Computational Biology Services for COVID-19 data and Metadata analysis

Comprehensive COVID-19 TCR-Antigen sequence database

✔  Providing you a comprehensive view of SARS-CoV-2-specific antigen and TCR level data

✔  Database will constantly be updated with new findings and TCR-Antigen sequence data

 

Check out the publications below to learn how researchers are propelling their COVID-19 research by leveraging immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID and the ImmuneCODE COVID-19 database

Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell receptors in ImmuneCode reveals cross-reactivity to immunodominant Influenza M1 epitope

 

Watch our video, about how the immunoSEQ Technology and immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID can be used to better understand the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

 

Ready to learn more about how our immunoSEQ T-MAP COVID service can help you propel your research forward? Contact us below to speak with one of our experts.

SOURCE

https://ww2.adaptivebiotech.com/immunoseq-TMAP-COVID?utm_source=genomeweb&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynews

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The complication of Pfizer’s Vaccine Distribution’s Plan

Posted in COVID-19, COVID-19, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, SARS-CoV-2, Treatment Protocols for COVID-19, Vaccinology, tagged , on November 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The complication of Pfizer’s Vaccine Distribution’s Plan

Reporter : Irina Robu, PhD

Even though Pfizer announcing the development of safe and effective vaccine is cause for celebration, scientists and public experts face  the challenge of how to quickly make millions of doses of the vaccine and getting them to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. But Pfizer distribution of vaccines rely on a network of companies, federal and state agencies and on the ground health workers in the midst of a pandemic that is spreading at a high rate in United States.

Before Pfizer can begin shipping its vaccine, federal and state governments must inform Pfizer of how many doses are needed along with syringes, needles and other supplies needed to administer the vaccine. In addition, employees at the locations should be trained to store and administer the vaccine and to ensure that after people are vaccinated, they return for a second dose.

The complication of Pfizer’s vaccine is that it has to be stored at minus 70 degree Celsius until before it is injected.  Pfizer is making the vaccine at facilities in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Puurs, Belgium. The doses distributed in the United States will mostly come from Kalamazoo. When they receive emergency authorization from FDA, Pfizer will send limited doses to large hospitals, pharmacies and other vulnerable groups. At the same time, nine other candidates are also in the final stage of testing.

In Kalamazoo, vaccines will go into vials, vi will go into trays (195 vials per tray) and the trays will go into specially designed cooler-type boxes (up to five trays per box).The reusable boxes, each toting between 1,000 and 5,000 doses and stuffed with dry ice, are equipped with GPS-enabled sensors. Pfizer employees will be able to monitor the boxes’ locations and temperatures as FedEx and UPS transport them to hospitals and clinics nationwide.

The minute Pfizer coolers reach their destinations, hospitals or pharmacies will have a few alternatives of  how to store the vaccine. The easiest option is using ultracold freezers, but they can stash the trays in conventional freezers for up to five days. The destinations can keep the vials in the cooler for up to 15 days as long as they replenish the dry ice and don’t open it more than twice a day.

The chief executives at Pfizer and BioNTech suggest that Pfizer is able to produce up to 50 million doses per year and only half of those will go to US. But since two doses are needed for each person, only 12.5 million doses can be vaccinated.

The other challenge is distributing the vaccine in rural areas, where if not administering the doses fast enough it can go bad. Even though Pfizer has developed and tested an effective vaccine, figuring out how to distribute it is the hardest challenge Pfizer will face.

SOURCE

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McKinsey experts on COVID-19: Implications for business: Executive Briefing

Posted in COVID-19, Economic Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic, Population Health Management, U.S. Employment-to-Population Ratio on November 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

McKinsey experts on COVID-19: Implications for business

 | Executive Briefing

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck

Reporter on Executive Briefing Highlights: Joel T. Shertok, PhD

JTS – 11/17/20

 

  • COVID-19-vaccine trial: a leading candidate has an efficacy rate of about 90 percent.
  • The gap between incoming and outgoing Treasury funds may reach $30 trillion soon.
  • Our latest research shows a particularly effective bridge for governments to consider: real estate.
  • Many businesses will embrace sustainability; voluntary carbon markets can help them reach their goals.
  • China, the world’s growth engine for the past 25 years, has come back
  • Consumer behavior has changed, pockets of growth are shifting, and leadership and management practices are in flux
  • Likely Pandemic scenarios:
  • A muted recovery
  • A prolonged and insufficient recovery
  • As the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, the future isn’t what it used to be: what used to be a simple idea now comes freighted with caveats, assumptions, and speculations.
  • The auto industry is one of the world’s largest and has been devastated by the pandemic: sales may drop by 20 to 30 percent in 2020, and we estimate that profits will fall by $100 billion.
  • The US restaurant industry has given many iconic brands to the rest of the world. But today, the sector is in trouble.
  • People don’t order sides, appetizers, and desserts as frequently when they’re ordering for delivery—but as leaders know, those items are often the difference between profit and loss.
  • For banks, the pandemic has changed everything. Risk-management teams are running hard to catch up with cascades of credit risk, among other challenges.
  • Ethnic minority groups have made progress. But the COVID-19 crisis threatens that progress;
  • All ethnic-minority groups have higher age-adjusted COVID-19-related death rates than white people do.
  • In the middle of the deepest recession in memory, stock markets are reaching new highs. Why the disconnect?
  • Many investors still take a long-term perspective; they are looking ahead to the end of the pandemic.
  • Another factor: five big-tech companies now make up 21 percent of the S&P 500,
  • The overall stock market can do relatively well even when employment and GDP are severely depressed.
  • Companies can expect a disruption to their production lines of one to two months—a very long time.
  • The effects of the COVID-19 crisis have exacerbated gender disparities and their implications for women at work, especially for mothers, female senior leaders, and Black women across America.
  • The exodus might include as many as two million women. That would raise a significant barrier to achieving gender parity in leadership roles in years to come.
  • The global economic contractions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have far exceeded those of the Great Recession that ended in 2009 and have occurred at a much faster rate, hitting all sectors and many of the world’s largest employers.
  • Two important issues facing healthcare providers. First, similarities in flu and COVID-19 symptoms could lead to a threefold spike in demand for COVID-19 testing as flu season in the Northern Hemisphere approaches.
  • Second, the crisis has also led to a surgical backlog for elective procedures because of lack of hospital capacity, workforce shortages, and new safety protocols.

SOURCE

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck

 

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Approaches and Solutions for Management of the COVID Pandemic 

Posted in COVID-19, Population Health Management, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical on October 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Approaches and Solutions for Management of the COVID Pandemic

Reporter: Aviva Lev- Ari, PhD, RN and Stephen J. Williams, PhD  
 
 
 
 
 
October 8, 2020 N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1479-1480 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2029812

 

Dying in a Leadership Vacuum

CONTINUE TO READ AT THE SOURCE N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1479-1480 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2029812   Janice Hopkins Tanne. (2020) Covid 19: NEJM and former CDC director launch stinging attacks on US response. BMJ, m3925. BMJ 2020;371:m3925

Covid 19: NEJM and former CDC director launch stinging attacks on US response

Janice Hopkins Tanne Author affiliations

The US is “dying in a leadership vacuum,” in responding to the covid-19 pandemic, the New England Journal of Medicine has said in an editorial.

“Our leaders have failed. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy,” the NEJM editors said. US leaders are “dangerously incompetent,” have undercut trust in science and in government,” and should be voted out,1 the journal said.

The intervention came as a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested the current CDC director should update staff in writing about the agency’s failings, apologise, and resign.23

The US leads the world in the death rate from covid-19, which is far higher than larger countries and those with less sophisticated technology and health services, the editors said.

“We have failed at almost every step,” they wrote, describing problems with supplies of personal protective equipment, delays in testing, and failure to employ quarantine, isolation, and social distancing appropriately and quickly. Government inaction has led to business losses and unemployment.

Earlier, William Foege, former director of the CDC and a leader in smallpox eradication, criticised the US response and the failure of the CDC. He sent a letter to Robert Redfield, the current CDC director, asking him to write to CDC employees describing the White House’s failure to put the CDC in charge of the covid-19 pandemic and then resign. A letter, he wrote, would be on the record.

Foege called the US response to the pandemic “a slaughter and not just a political dispute” that had turned the CDC’s reputation from “gold to tarnished brass.”

Foege is emeritus presidential distinguished professor of international health at Emory University. He was director of the Carter Center’s Task Force for Child Survival and senior medical advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, in 2012. His private letter, written on 23 September, was published by USA Today on 7 October.

Redfield, a virologist with expertise in HIV/AIDS and a clinician, served in the US Army’s medical corps. He co-founded the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology and was chief of infectious diseases at the university’s medical school.

Foege wrote, “You don’t want to be seen, in the future, as forsaking your role as servant to the public in order to become a servant to a corrupt president. You could send a letter to all CDC employees (a letter leaves a record and avoids the chance of making a mistake with a speech) laying out the facts. The White House will, of course, respond with fury. But you will have right on your side. Like Martin Luther, you can say, ‘Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.’”

Among the truths that need to be faced, Foege said, are that, despite White House spin attempts, the failure of the US public health system is because of “the incompetence and illogic of the White House programme.”

The White House failed to put the CDC in charge of the pandemic, violating rules of public health so that “people and the media go to the academic community for truth, rather than to CDC,” Foege’s letter says. Unlike former responses to health crises, there has been no federal plan, “resulting in 50 states developing their own plans, often in competition.”

The need to form coalitions to fight the pandemic “has been ignored as the president thrives instead on creating divisions, and the need for global cooperation has been squandered by an ‘America first’ policy. The best decisions are based on the best science while the best results are based on the best management. The White House has rejected both science and good management,” Foege wrote.

Foege, the CDC, Redfield, and the White House have not publicly commented on the letter.

References
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  SOURCES for the NEJM https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2029812?query=recirc_mostViewed_railB_article https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2029812#.X39d2y9tN84.twitter Janice Hopkins Tanne. (2020) Covid 19: NEJM and former CDC director launch stinging attacks on US response. BMJ, m3925. BMJ 2020;371:m3925

Covid 19: NEJM and former CDC director launch stinging attacks on US response

BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3925 (Published 08 October 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m3925   References

  1. Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. COVID-19 dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. opens in new tab).

    Google Scholar. opens in new tab

  2. Total number of COVID-19 tests per confirmed case, September 14, 2020. Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-covid-19-tests-per-confirmed-case. opens in new tab).

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  3. McGinley L, Abutaleb L, Johnson CY. Inside Trump’s pressure campaign on federal scientists over a Covid-19 treatment. Washington Post. August 30, 2020 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/convalescent-plasma-treatment-covid19-fda/2020/08/29/e39a75ec-e935-11ea-bc79-834454439a44_story.html. opens in new tab).

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  4. Haberman M. Trump admits downplaying the virus knowing it was ‘deadly stuff.’ New York Times. September 9, 2020 (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/us/politics/woodward-trump-book-virus.html. opens in new tab).

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Related Articles

 

Other related articles published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following EIGHT topics we cover since March 14, 2020 on LPBI Group’s Coronavirus PORTAL

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/coronavirus-portal/

Eight COVID-19 Topics Covered and Lead Curators are:

  1. Breakthrough News Corner
  2. Development of Medical Counter-measures for 2019-nCoV, CoVid19, Coronavirus
  3. An Epidemiological Approach Stephen J. Williams, PhD and Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN Lead Curators – e–mail Contacts: sjwilliamspa@comcast.net and avivalev-ari@alum.berkeley.edu
  4. Community Impact Stephen J. Williams, PhD and Irina Robu, PhD Lead Curators – e–mail Contacts: irina.stefania@gmail.com and sjwilliamspa@comcast.net
  5. Economic Impact of The Coronavirus Pandemic Dr. Joel Shertok, PhD Lead Curator – e–mail Contact: jshertok@processindconsultants.com
  6. Voices of Global Citizens: Impact of The Coronavirus Pandemic, Gail S. Thornton, M.A. Lead Curator – e–mail Contact: gailsthornton@yahoo.com
  7. Diagnosis of Coronavirus Infection by Medical Imaging and Cardiovascular Impacts of Viral Infection, Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN Lead Curator e-mail contact: avivalev-ari@alum.berkeley.edu
  8. Key Opinion Leaders Followed by LPBI Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN and Dr. Ofer Markman, PhD Lead Curators e-mail contacts: oferm2015@gmail.com and avivalev-ari@alum.berkeley.edu

 

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The lessons from the Covid-19 response, according to Anthony Fauci

Posted in COVID-19, Population Health Management, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical on October 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The lessons from the Covid-19 response, according to Anthony Fauci

Reporter : Irina Robu, PhD

 

UPDATED on 10/18/2020

 

 

Since COVID-19 was declared an international pandemic, the world has learned difficult lessons according to Dr. Anthony Fauci. They are as follows:

  • Don’t understand the impact of the pandemic. Don’t ever estimate [an outbreak] as it evolves and don’t try to look at the rosy side of things.
  • Always do scientifically sound research.
  • Adapt to new information. If you look at what we knew in February compared to what we know now [about Covid-19], there really are a lot of differences. The role of masks, the role of aerosol, the role of indoor vs. outdoors, closed spaces. You’ve just got to be humble enough to realize that we don’t know it all from the get-go and even as we get into it.
  • Address existing health care disparities. There is a high number of hospitalizations with COVID within African-American and Latin community.

SOURCE

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/10/anthony-fauci-lessons-learned-covid19-pandemic

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Detecting SARS-COV-2 antibodies in serum and plasma samples

Posted in COVID-19, Diagnostics and Lab Tests, FDA, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, SAR-Cov-2 a vasculotropic (blood vessels) RNA Virus, SARS-CoV-2, Serology tests for coronavirus antibodies, Treatment Protocols for COVID-19 on October 13, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Detecting SARS-COV-2 antibodies in serum and plasma samples

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

Convalescent plasma therapy is a possible treatment under investigation where antibodies from recovered patients are transfused to current COVID-19 patients with the intent to help them fight the infection and buy time until their immune system can produce antibodies. Yet, not all recovered patients have the same quantity of antibody titers suitable for such transfusions. In some patients it will minimize the severity of the disease length.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized convalescent plasma therapy for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 and it permitted to be used during the pandemic because there is no approved treatment for COVID-19. The donated blood is processed to remove cells, leaving behind liquid and antibody.   

Companies like Forte Bío are developing instruments such as Octet HTX Instrument, Octet RED384 Octet RED96e Instrument and Octet K2 Instrument to detect SARS-COV-2 antibodies in serum and plasma samples. The Octet technology allows quantification with high resolution comparable to an HPLC . The instrument utilizes BLI enabling label-free detection for protein quantitation and kinetic characterization at unmatched speed and throughput. The instrument can  measure up to 96 samples simultaneously allowing both unlimited characterization capacity for various applications and custom assay tailoring to maximize analytical throughput or sensitivity and preventing bottlenecks. 

 How are antibodies tested ?

  1. Immobilize a virus protein such as the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS CoV-2 spike protein.
  2. Dip the coronavirus biosensor into diluted patient plasma or serum samples.
  3. Block the biosensor with non-relevant serum or blocking buffer if needed to prevent non-specific binding.

Even the researchers believe that the risk to donors is low, there are additional risks such as allergic reactions, lung damage, difficulty breathing or infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and Donated blood must be tested for safety prior to administering to patients.

What to expect ? It is up to the doctor treating the patient, if convalescent plasma therapy is an option.  Even though data from clinical trials suggest that convalescent plasma may diminish the severity or duration of the COVID19, more research is needed to determine if convalescent plasma therapy is an effective treatment.

SOURCE

https://www.fortebio.com/covid19research19research

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.17.20156281v1

 

Other related articles were published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal including the following:

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/05/18/race-to-develop-antibody-drugs-for-covid-19

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/05/18/race-to-develop-antibody-drugs-for-covid-19

 

 

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Why Do Some COVID-19 Patients Infect Many Others, Whereas Most Don’t Spread the Virus At All?

Posted in COVID-19, number of asymptomatic infections, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, SARS-CoV-2, Seasonality & Environmental Factors in Resurgence, Virus Infective Acute Respiratory Syndrome: SARS-CoV on October 12, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Why Do Some COVID-19 Patients Infect Many Others, Whereas Most Don’t Spread the Virus At All?

Guest Reporter: Jason S Zielonka, MD

One of the key parameters in COVID-19 pandemic epidemiology has been to define the spread metrics, basically identifying how a host spreads the virus to uninfected individuals. The pattern of spread can impact how and which preventative measures such as social distancing and hand washing can impact spread patterns. In particular, two metrics, the average number of new patients infected by each host (the reproduction number, R) and a factor representing the tendency to cluster (the dispersion factor, k) can be used to describe and model the spread of a virus quite well. Higher values of R mean more people are infected by a single host, i.e, the disease is more contagious; lower values of k mean that a host infects a larger number of new patients, i.e., the disease is more clustered.

The reproduction number, R, for SARS-CoV-2, without social distancing, is about 3. But this is an average, taken over an aggregate of patients. For most individuals, R is zero, i.e., most patients do not transmit the virus to others. For comparison, SARS and MERS, both coronaviruses, had R > 3 and the 1918 influenza pandemic had R >> 3. So what determines viral spread and how can we use that information to treat and eradicate SARS-CoV-2?

In 2005, by modeling the Chinese SARS outbreak and comparing the model to the real-world data, Lloyd-Smith and co-authors were able to determine that SARS had a k of about 0.16. MERS, in 2012, was estimated to have k around 0.25; the 1918 pandemic, by contrast, had a k of 1, meaning it had very little cluster effect. The current modeling indicates that k for SARS-CoV-2 is not conclusive, but it appears higher than k for either SARS or MERS.

This work has provided insights into some of the factors influencing cluster spread, which can be controlled in a more specific way than quarantining an entire population. There will be individual variance, but we know that people are particularly infectious over a certain time period; that certain activities are more conducive to droplet formation and wider spread, and that being outdoors rather than in confined and noisy indoor locations leads to less spread. This can all lead to better, faster and more tolerable approaches to either future pandemics or to a recurrence of SARS-CoV-2.

SOURCE

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/why-do-some-covid-19-patients-infect-many-others-whereas-most-don-t-spread-virus-all

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From AAAS Science News on COVID19: New CRISPR based diagnostic may shorten testing time to 5 minutes

Posted in Biomarkers: Inflammation, Cancer Researchers Fighting COVID-19, Coronavirus Gene Expression, COVID-19, COVID-19, COVID-19: Pandemic Surgery Guidance, CRISPR/Cas9 & Gene Editing, Population genetics, Population Health Management, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, SAR-Cov-2 a vasculotropic (blood vessels) RNA Virus, SARS-CoV-2, Seasonality & Environmental Factors in Resurgence, Treatment Protocols for COVID-19, Virus Infective Acute Respiratory Syndrome: SARS-CoV, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

From AAAS Science News on COVID19: New CRISPR based diagnostic may shorten testing time to 5 minutes

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new CRISPR-based diagnostic could shorten wait times for coronavirus tests.

 

 

New test detects coronavirus in just 5 minutes

By Robert F. ServiceOct. 8, 2020 , 3:45 PM

Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

 

Researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to come up with a test that detects the pandemic coronavirus in just 5 minutes. The diagnostic doesn’t require expensive lab equipment to run and could potentially be deployed at doctor’s offices, schools, and office buildings.

“It looks like they have a really rock-solid test,” says Max Wilson, a molecular biologist at the University of California (UC), Santa Barbara. “It’s really quite elegant.”

CRISPR diagnostics are just one way researchers are trying to speed coronavirus testing. The new test is the fastest CRISPR-based diagnostic yet. In May, for example, two teams reported creating CRISPR-based coronavirus tests that could detect the virus in about an hour, much faster than the 24 hours needed for conventional coronavirus diagnostic tests.CRISPR tests work by identifying a sequence of RNA—about 20 RNA bases long—that is unique to SARS-CoV-2. They do so by creating a “guide” RNA that is complementary to the target RNA sequence and, thus, will bind to it in solution. When the guide binds to its target, the CRISPR tool’s Cas13 “scissors” enzyme turns on and cuts apart any nearby single-stranded RNA. These cuts release a separately introduced fluorescent particle in the test solution. When the sample is then hit with a burst of laser light, the released fluorescent particles light up, signaling the presence of the virus. These initial CRISPR tests, however, required researchers to first amplify any potential viral RNA before running it through the diagnostic to increase their odds of spotting a signal. That added complexity, cost, and time, and put a strain on scarce chemical reagents. Now, researchers led by Jennifer Doudna, who won a share of this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry yesterday for her co-discovery of CRISPR, report creating a novel CRISPR diagnostic that doesn’t amplify coronavirus RNA. Instead, Doudna and her colleagues spent months testing hundreds of guide RNAs to find multiple guides that work in tandem to increase the sensitivity of the test.

In a new preprint, the researchers report that with a single guide RNA, they could detect as few as 100,000 viruses per microliter of solution. And if they add a second guide RNA, they can detect as few as 100 viruses per microliter.

That’s still not as good as the conventional coronavirus diagnostic setup, which uses expensive lab-based machines to track the virus down to one virus per microliter, says Melanie Ott, a virologist at UC San Francisco who helped lead the project with Doudna. However, she says, the new setup was able to accurately identify a batch of five positive clinical samples with perfect accuracy in just 5 minutes per test, whereas the standard test can take 1 day or more to return results.

The new test has another key advantage, Wilson says: quantifying a sample’s amount of virus. When standard coronavirus tests amplify the virus’ genetic material in order to detect it, this changes the amount of genetic material present—and thus wipes out any chance of precisely quantifying just how much virus is in the sample.

By contrast, Ott’s and Doudna’s team found that the strength of the fluorescent signal was proportional to the amount of virus in their sample. That revealed not just whether a sample was positive, but also how much virus a patient had. That information can help doctors tailor treatment decisions to each patient’s condition, Wilson says.

Doudna and Ott say they and their colleagues are now working to validate their test setup and are looking into how to commercialize it.

Posted in:

doi:10.1126/science.abf1752

Robert F. Service

Bob is a news reporter for Science in Portland, Oregon, covering chemistry, materials science, and energy stories.

 

Source: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/new-test-detects-coronavirus-just-5-minutes

Other articles on CRISPR and COVID19 can be found on our Coronavirus Portal and the following articles:

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020: Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer A. Doudna
The University of California has a proud legacy of winning Nobel Prizes, 68 faculty and staff have been awarded 69 Nobel Prizes.
Toaster Sized Machine Detects COVID-19
Study with important implications when considering widespread serological testing, Ab protection against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and the durability of vaccine protection

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Tiny biologic drug to fight COVID-19 show promise in animal models

Posted in Diagnostics and Lab Tests, Lung and pulmonology, SARS-CoV-2, Treatment Protocols for COVID-19, tagged , , , , on October 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Tiny biologic drug to fight COVID-19 show promise in animal models

Reporter : Irina Robu, PhD

A research team at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine identified an antibody component that is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody. Their research published in Cell, indicates that the drug, Ab8 based on it is effective in mice and hamsters. The research was started by screening a library of about 100 billion antibody fragments to identify candidates that bound tightly to the spike protein on SARS-CoV-2’s surface, which the virus uses to enter and infect human cells.

A typical antibody consists of two heavy chains and two light chains. The chosen molecule is the variable domain of the heavy chain of an immunoglobulin, which is a type of antibody. The heavy chain variable domain is essential for binding with an antigen. Ab8 was created by fusing the variable, heavy chain domain with part of the immunoglobulin tail region, giving it immune functions but doing so with a molecule that’s about half the size of a full immunoglobulin.

The smaller size of the antibody can improve the therapeutic efficacy for infectious diseases and can be delivered through inhalation. Their research showed that Ab8 completely neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in lab dishes. The drug developed showed that inhibited the virus in lung tissue in animal body even at the lowest dose 2 mg/kg as compared to untreated controls.

The research team is looking to determine the drug effect in hamsters, which were reported to have better clinical signatures of COVID-19. And the hamsters that got the drug display less severe pneumonia that did the control animals. Drugs with alternative administration routers could provide additions to the first wave of COVID-19 therapies and vaccines.

What is more important, Ab8 does not appear to bind to human cells which is a good sign that it won’t have negative side effects.

SOURCE

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/research/small-sized-biologic-against-covid-19-shows-promise-animal-models

 

 

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Llama-inspired “AeroNabs” to strangle COVID-19 with an inhaler

Posted in COVID-19, Nanotechnology for Drug Delivery, tagged , , , , on October 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Llama inspired “AeroNabs” to strangle COVID-19 with an inhaler 

Reporter : Irina Robu, PhD

Llama and other camelids fight off pathogens like viruses with tiny antibodies called nanobodies. A USCF team used protein engineering to make a synthetic nanobody that prevents the spike protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 from binding to healthy cells and infecting them. The team indicates promising preclinical results for aerosol formulation and can be used as a self-administered form of protein against the virus.

According to the UCSF team, an aerosolized form of nanobody exhibit SARS-CoV-2 incapable of binding to the ACE2 receptor on healthy cells that line airways. The synthetic nanobody stays functional after it was freeze-dried, exposed to heat and aerosolized.

The researchers ongoing screening a library of synthetic nanobodies, ultimately landing on 21 that banned the spike-ACE2 interaction. The scientists decided that in order to be truly efficient, a nanobody based treatment with interact with all three of the receptor binding domains on the spike protein that attaches to ACE2.  Their solution was to engineer a molecular chain that connects three nanobodies together, which would ensure that when one of the nanobodies attached to RBD, the others would link to the two remaining RBD. This molecular chain resulted in a drug candidate proved to be 200,000 times more potent than a single antibody.

At the same time, ExeVir Bio is also developing an aerosolized COVID-19 treatment inspired by llamas and is currently trying to advance its candidate into clinical trials by the end of the year. Their main candidate, VHH-72Fc was considered to bind to an epitope that is found both in SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Yet, the llama inspired treatments are still behind antibody efforts like that of Regeneron.

Even though, there are multiple vaccines in development, researchers at UCSF believe that AeroNabs can be used as a sort of personal protective equipment until vaccines become available. The same researchers are planning human trials and are in discussion with partners who can provide manufacturing and distribution backing.

SOURCE

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/research/ucsf-engineers-develop-llama-inspired-aeronabs-to-strangle-covid-19-inhaler

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